


In Plain Sight

by BoldlyGoingNowhereFast



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Crack, Fluff, Hux has never seen Kylo without the mask, M/M, this is literally the plot of megamind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 04:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6455074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoldlyGoingNowhereFast/pseuds/BoldlyGoingNowhereFast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Is it just Hux, or is Matt the radar technician really cute? Hux doesn't know why he hasn't seen him around before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Plain Sight

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is like the millionth fic like this, but I've had this on my computer forever and had to post it. This is trash.

Most days Hux took his meals in his office, where he could work undisturbed. He preferred productivity over socialization any day.

Today, he was near the mess hall and didn’t feel like making the trek up to his quarters to eat just so he could come all the way back down here for the strategy meeting. Stepping through the sliding doors, he hoped to avoid actually interacting with anyone if he could. Unfortunately the officers’ mess was even farther away than his quarters and extremely inconvenient, so he had caved and went to the main mess hall.

Hux moved to the food line, grabbed a tray of the usual nutritional mush and made his way to an empty corner of a table. It wasn’t busy, probably due to the odd hours Hux usually kept, so that meant there was only a smattering of Stormtroopers, a few low-ranking officers, and a technician in that horrid orange vest. Hux couldn’t think of one time he had actually held a conversation with anyone this low-ranking, and it made his skin crawl to think about having to make small talk with any of these people.

Luckily, he always had a datapad with him, which meant he could hide in his work and hope that no one tried to engage him in idle chatter.

“A buddy of mine saw Kylo Ren take his shirt off in the shower. He said that Kylo Ren had an eight-pack. That Kylo Ren was shredded.”

Hux almost paused mid-stride. It was the blond technician, speaking with a Stormtrooper and an officer, and he seemed to be completely serious.

Hux had never seen Kylo Ren in anything less than full cloak and helmet, always speaking through the voice-scrambler, always acting like he thought Darth Vader would act, while making a complete twat of himself. Hux was suddenly interested.

Hux slid onto the bench seat right in front of the technician and set his tray on the table without making any sound. He watched as the other two at the table gave him wide-eyed looks. There was a split-second look of panic on the technician's face before it morphed into mild interest.

“General Hux, sir,” the two said making to salute.

Hux waved them away, not even glancing at them. Both fell silent and watched him. The technician hadn’t even made the move to salute, which was downright disrespectful, but Hux wasn’t in the mood to quote protocols at a dim-witted radar technician who probably didn’t shower enough. His hair was greasy and messy and there was the shadow of a growing beard on his jaw.

“Do you often lie to your crewmates?” Hux asked, offering the technician a look with raised brows and a slight smirk. He was told the expression was infuriating, and so he had perfected it.

Hux could see the man's jaw grind in response.

Hux glanced down at the silver nametag clipped to the front of his vest. “Matt, is it? Do think before you spread rumors about Lord Ren, especially if you value your life. He is known to have an awful temper.”

Matt was still staring at him, and Hux began to wonder if starting this conversation had been a mistake. Matt seemed to be a little slow, and his companions were too intimidated to do anything but stare at Hux.

Matt smirked. “Have you seen him shirtless, then?”

Hux blinked. “No one has seen Ren shirtless. He doesn’t show his face, let alone anything else. If you are going to lie about him, at least make the lies believable.”

“What do you care? You hate Ren.”

Hux was startled. Only the highest echelons of the crew knew about the animosity between Hux and Kylo Ren, and only because they sometimes argued on the bridge. It was important to present a united front for the rest of the crew to prevent any unrest. The fact that this low-ranking technician not only knew that Ren and Hux didn’t always get along, but that they hated each other, was worrying.

“Kylo Ren is my ally. I will not have crew members committing acts of verbal treason against him.”

“I was doing him a favor,” Matt mumbled, staring down at his tray and finally breaking the uncomfortable eye contact. “Wouldn’t you want people knowing you were in shape? If you are in shape?” His gaze flickered to Hux’s torso, and Hux felt his face heat in anger and a touch of unwanted embarrassment.

“You will not spread rumors about high-ranking officers or Kylo Ren,” Hux said, and stood. Maybe he would eat in his room after all if it meant avoiding the apparently dense crew.

 

Hux was in a hurry. He strode down the halls of the _Finalizer_ and cursed the delays on a maintenance check that had held him up. Now he was running late to his meeting with Snoke, and that was absolutely unacceptable. Someone was going to pay for this. It wasn’t often Hux had meetings with Snoke without Kylo Ren standing beside him, so Hux liked to make the most of these meetings. It was hard to make a favorable impression with the Supreme Leader when Ren was being a nuisance.

He rounded a corner and ran straight into someone in a bright orange vest. Letting out a curse of surprise, Hux backed up and stared right at Matt the radar technician.

“Get out of my way,” Hux, growled, making to step around him.

Matt sidestepped into his path. “Where are you going?”

Hux glared at him, more bewildered than anything. What the hell was wrong with this man? “That is classified. You are wasting my time. Move.”

“You look flustered, General. Are you meeting with Snoke, by chance?”

Hux opened his mouth and closed it. What the hell.

“Get out of my way.”

Matt gave him one last unreadable stare and then stepped sideways, allowing Hux to hurry past him. Hux made a mental note to look into Matt the radar technician. The man was either a spy or an idiot.

 

“Just send someone to fix it. I don’t care who,” Hux growled through his comm, staring at the smoking datascreen on his desk from a safe distance. He was supposed to be reviewing schematics for work on the Starkiller and signing on orders for repairs, but his personal computer unit was currently making an ominous buzzing sound and was puffing out bouts of grey smoke.

“Yes, General Hux. We’re sending a repairman now.”

Hux huffed, setting his comm down on the edge of his desk and pinching the bridge of his nose. This was the last thing he needed right now.

His door buzzed. “Come in.”

It was Matt the radar technician, carrying a box of tools and looking as awkward as ever.

Hux glared at him. “Why you? Why the hell would they send you?”

“There’s a malfunction in the heating system on the upper levels. I’m the only technician who isn’t helping on that repair.”

“Can you fix this?” Hux asked, gesturing at the screen. He was impatient and irritated, and he hadn’t had time to look up Matt to make sure he wasn’t a spy, and now Matt was in his personal rooms, about to do repairs on his personal computer system.

Matt stared at it, taking in the damage. “I should be able to.”

“Don’t touch anything other than the computer, and don’t go through my files.”

Hux turned and headed toward the table and chairs on the other side of the living space, settling down and pouring himself a glass of whiskey. He usually went for wine, but it was one of those days. Kylo Ren hadn’t shown his face in at least a week, and Hux was left with all the work on the Starkiller base, as well as Snoke talking in circles when Hux enquired after Ren. Honestly, he was better off when Ren wasn’t around, but it irritated him that Ren might be slacking off while Hux worked himself into the dirt.

He watched as Matt pulled tools from his toolbox, unscrewing the backing from the unit and poking at its interior with his brows furrowed.

“Why haven’t I seen you around before, Matt?” Hux asked, admiring the straight line of Matt’s nose, his soft lips pulled downward in concentration. Hux may live in a near constant state of irritation, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t admire where admiration was due. Hux wasn’t blind, after all.

“I was under the impression you didn’t mingle with the crew often. It’s understandable that you’ve never seen me.” Matt’s posture was stiff as he bent over the computer, giving away that he was uncomfortable with this conversation.

“I’ve seen you three times in the past few days. I’ve never seen you before then. You can understand why I’m cautious. After all, you could be a spy.” Hux crossed his legs, taking another swig of whiskey. Technically, whiskey was against regulation, but he was a General and was allowed to break the rules now and again. He had created the rules, after all.

“If I was a spy, I’d be plying for information right now. You’re the one talking to me.”

“Most of the low-ranking crew is terrified of me. Or, they at least show more respect. I could have you sent in for reconditioning, you know.”

Matt turned to look at him, and his gaze was sharp. “You find it refreshing that I’m not afraid of you. You’re curious about me, and you don’t really think that I’m a spy.”

Hux narrowed his eyes. Matt was right, and Hux didn’t know how. Either Matt was very good at reading people, or he was Force sensitive. Honestly, Hux bet on Matt just being one of those creepy people who somehow knew everything about people just by reading their body language. Hux was good at reading people, but he wasn’t _that_ good.

“You should practice more discipline around a general.”

The datascreen flickered on, and the diagrams Hux had been pouring over popped back up.

“You fixed it.”

Matt offered him an unimpressed look. “It’s my job.”

“Not if you’re a spy, it’s not.”

Matt packed up his tools, glancing up at Hux intermittently, even as Hux kept his steady gaze fixed on him. He was taller than Hux was, by a few inches, and he held himself as though he was trying to make himself look shorter, shoulders hunched and head down. Hux wondered what he was hiding.

“Good day, General Hux,” Matt said, once he was finished packing his tools and made his way to the door of Hux’s quarters.

“Thank you, Matt,” Hux said, and Matt turned back around with his eyebrows raised.

“I’m only doing my job.”

The door made a whooshing sound as it closed behind Matt, and Hux blinked.

“How odd.”

 

Hux began taking more of his meals in the mess hall, and if the times happened to coincide with when Matt took his meals, it was mere coincidence. If Hux decided to sit at his table, that was because Matt would actually hold conversation with him instead of avoiding eye contact nervously. Matt had interesting opinions about nearly everything that occurred on the ship, and Hux found that he enjoyed conversation with the strange radar technician.

“So you think Lord Ren is right to hide his face like that?”

Matt shrugged, swallowing what was in his mouth and gesturing with his fork. “He wants to instill just enough fear in the crew that they won’t question him. He wants to appear more than human. Humans are fallible.”

“How do you know Ren is human?”

Matt opened his mouth to respond, thought better of it, and then paused for a few moments. “I suppose I don’t. But if I were Kylo Ren, it’s what I would do.”

Hux took a sip of his caf, eyeing Matt over the rim. “You are not at all like Kylo Ren, I can assure you.”

Matt gave a weird laugh, staring directly at Hux with his mouth barely turned up at the corners. Hux threw him a look with raised eyebrows.

“You’re a strange person, Matt,” Hux said without venom.

Matt seemed thrown by the remark. “Better to be strange than boring. Even better to be strange and use it to make change where change is needed.”

Hux let that sink in for a moment and then raised his mug. “Cheers to that.”

Matt lifted his own cup, offering Hux a smile of slightly crooked teeth, more genuine than any expression Hux had ever seen on the man. Hux had a genuine smile of his own playing on his mouth as he took a large swig of caf.

The smile disappeared when he felt the very hot caf burning the back of his throat and his tongue, and he couldn’t resist the pained cough that escaped his mouth.

Matt’s laugh at Hux’s expense was just as genuine as his smile had been.

 

“General, sir, Kylo Ren is on level three, in conference room B, and he wants to speak with you.”

Hux blinked at the officer, his jaw clenching. “So, Kylo Ren has decided to show his face again, has he?”

“Yes, sir.”

Hux barely repressed the sigh building in his chest. Apparently walking to the bridge was too much work for Ren, and instead, Hux would have to go out of his way, all the way to deck three. This was a fight Hux didn’t feel like participating in, so he clenched his fists as he walked, amazed at Ren’s skill of irritating him within the first few minutes he’d been around in over a week.

Ren was leaning against the conference table, arms crossed over his chest, clad in his normal thick robes, hood, and mask.

“Decided to show your face again?” Hux asked, moving only far enough into the room that the doors closed behind him. He only realized how dense that statement was when he stared into the impassive front of the metal mask.

“I’ve been busy.”

“Not with our current mission, that’s for sure.”

Ren radiated irritation without even showing his face. “Our goals have a much wider reach than this mission alone. You know this.”

Sometimes, Hux wondered what Ren looked like beneath the mask. Was he disfigured? Was he even human? Hux had never seen his face or heard his real voice, and it made him wonder exactly what Ren had to hide.

“Yes, well, it’s more than a little frustrating to make accommodations for someone who doesn’t rank in the Order, who disappears at random times for random lengths of time, and then demands to be caught up on operations. I am already worked thin with this project we’re undertaking.”

“Questioning me is to question the decisions of the Supreme Leader. You wouldn’t do that, would you, General?”

Hux clenched his jaw. “Why did you summon me here?”

There was a momentary pause, thick between them. “I would like you to fill me in on the progress of our mission.”

If Ren hadn’t been wearing that metal mask, Hux would have entertained the idea of punching him. He settled on focusing intently on the _idea_ of punching Ren and hoping he got the memo.

They ended up working through the normal lunch period, going over plans and discussing strategy, and by the time Hux had gotten Ren completely up to date, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sit in his quarters and have a healthy glass of wine. Maybe that would take the edge off of his buzzing irritation. As soon as they were done, Ren swept out of the conference room, not giving Hux a backward glance and Hux was left to stare at the door he had exited through, trying to control his frustration. Ren had questioned nearly every one of Hux’s decisions, demanding explanations for even the most simple of operations, enough that Hux wondered if Ren was being difficult just to irritate him.

Hux wouldn’t put it past Ren to do such a thing.

Hux wondered if Matt had missed him at lunch, and then cursed himself for acting like an unimaginative fool. Shrugging his coat back over his shoulders, Hux decided to call it a night. If he was having these thoughts, it was time to go to bed.

 

The next day, Hux sat down heavily on the bench seat across from Matt, aware of Matt’s eyes on him.

“Tough day?”

“You have no idea.” Hux knew that interacting with a lowly crewmember like this was largely unwise and perhaps proof of some sort of weakness on Hux’s part, but at the moment he couldn’t bring himself to care. Matt seemed harmless, with his lack of ambition and his strange awkwardness that shone through in everything he did.

Hux found him refreshing and endearing, and he didn’t know what to do with these feelings. His rational mind told him to crush them before they became a weakness, but there was something within Hux that was preventing him from doing this.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I burned my hand on a welder this morning. I got it healed, of course, but it hurt while it lasted.”

Hux stared at him. “You could get killed, making mistakes like that,” Hux said, frowning. “Your job is dangerous.”

“So is yours,” Matt said with a shrug.

“Hmm, yes, I guess it is. I do deal with Kylo Ren on a near-daily basis.”

“You think that Kylo Ren would hurt you?” Matt asked with a pinched expression.

“He’s strangled my crew for very little. I imagine if he gets mad enough, he won’t hesitate to lash out at me. I do happen to make him angry often, not that I am to blame for any of that.”

Matt’s gaze traveled over his face, assessing. “Kylo Ren wouldn’t hurt you.”

Hux didn’t stifle his snort in time. “What makes you so sure of that? Do you have late night chats with him and discuss your feelings? Has Ren proclaimed his promise to keep me from injury? I doubt Ren spares more thought for me than he does an overly irritating insect.”

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “If you ever feel like you need to vent to someone about Kylo Ren, I know there are not many people you feel safe with.” His voice was low, close to mumbling, but he was looking at Hux with a steady gaze. “If you ever want to talk with me….”

Hux held the eye contact. Matt was sincere in his offer and didn’t seem to have any obvious ulterior motives. Hux was unsure what to do with such an offer, and it took him a moment to come up with a response.

“Thank you,” Hux said with a serious expression.

“I imagine being a General can be lonely. I understand that’s a sacrifice you make, but if I can offer anything, I’d like to.”

Hux weighed his options, watching the smile on Matt’s face, the brightness in his dark eyes, the freckles on his face. “Would you like to take a drink in my quarters tonight? Do you play chess?”

Matt’s grin turned crooked. “I love chess.”

 

Hux’s skill at chess was precise, intelligent, and brutal. He knew exactly how to take people out, and it only took a few moves for him to sense a person’s chess style and ruthlessly defeat them. It had been a long time since he had played chess with someone who didn’t already know that playing chess with Hux was a bad idea.

Matt was surprisingly skilled at it, and somehow he was able to predict Hux’s moves, despite Hux being an untraditional player.

Hux still beat him, especially after they had had a few glasses of whiskey each.

“I didn’t think you’d be so good at chess,” Hux said, leaning back in his chair after Matt had tipped his king over with a wry expression.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Matt had taken off his glasses and was wearing what went for the day-to-day uniform of unlisted on the _Finalizer_ : a pair of simple black slacks, black boots, and a black jacket with only the insignia of the First Order on it, etched in red thread on the right breast. Matt looked good in the dark color. Hux had only ever seen him in his work clothes, and that bright orange vest took away from the pale color of his skin, from his dark eyes and light hair.

“You don’t strike me as a strategist,” Hux said gesturing. “But your skill seems to be wasted on technician work. You could be in the command class ranks. You could work your way up, get good pay, benefits, have actual career goals.”

Matt’s expression remained blank. “I like being a radar technician. I like my job.”

Hux took a swig of his drink, shrugging. “Suit yourself. I’m trying to compliment your skill at chess.”

“You have an odd way of doing it.”

Hux rubbed the back of his neck and then unbuttoned the top-most button on his uniform shirt, eyeing Matt appraisingly across the table. His hair was more tamed than usual, but still as curly, and it shone in the dim lighting of Hux’s living space. He must have shaved, because the shadow of a beard he usually wore was gone, revealing the pale, smooth skin underneath. There was something about his appearance, endearing but attractive, someone who didn’t draw the eyes, but when given attention, hard to look away from.

“You stare at me,” Matt said, dark eyes boring into him.

“And you stare at me. Stared at me from the beginning, in fact.”

“The others in that mess hall also stared at you.”

Hux shook his head. “They stared, but they averted their eyes when I looked at them. You held my gaze, which could be construed as borderline disrespect, by some people.”

“Would you have told someone else off? Would you have challenged someone who was not me?”

Hux tilted his glass, watching the play of the amber liquid, liking this new game they were playing. “You think I favor you?”

“I’m in your quarters, drinking your alcohol.”

“Maybe I am trying to offer you a promotion.”

“You wouldn’t make promotions personal like this. You’re a stickler for protocol and professionalism. Besides, the head technician is responsible for my promotions, not you.”

Hux set his glass down, straightening in his chair. “What do you think this is, then?”

Matt seemed to be drawing a blank, which was strange considering he had gotten everything else right so far. Matt was perceptive, but it seemed like this was too much for him. Hux decided enough was enough; it was time to show Matt what he wanted and to see if Matt was willing.

Hux was resolved in his decision to take this leap. Matt was the first person Hux had found interesting in years, and he wasn’t high enough in the ranks to cause any problems. This couldn’t hurt Hux, and he felt he deserved it after all his hard work. Now he just needed to ascertain if Matt wanted it too; judging by the open position of his posture and the looseness of his frame, he did.

Hux pushed his foot forward under the table, finding Matt’s feet and sliding his ankle along Matt’s.

Matt looked at him sharply. “Your motives are far from innocent, General,” Matt said, his voice rough.

“They aren’t innocent, but they could be worse, couldn’t they?”

Hux felt like Matt’s gaze was scanning him, reaching right into his mind to try to discover his darkest secrets. He wanted to squirm under the gaze, but he was stronger than that.

“I thought you were against fraternization with the crew.”

Hux tilted his head. “I’ve never had reason to form such opinions. Not until now, that is, and I find I cannot bring myself to care.”

Matt must have found what he wanted in Hux’s gaze, because he pressed their knees together under the small table, and his expression softened.

The table was just small enough that when the chess board was pushed aside, Hux could lean over it and bring their mouths together. Matt’s mouth was soft, warm, and yielding to his own, and the hand he brought to the side of Hux’s face was gentle.

Hux hadn’t expected this interaction to be gentle, unprepared for the way his body reacted without his explicit consent, sinking into the kiss with no hesitation. Hux now realized his error in starting the kiss with the table between them. He wanted nothing more than to pull Matt close, to feel his larger frame against his own. Hux was a man of control, and this interaction wanted to strip it from him.

Matt smelled like the sharp tang of a fresh rain and something else familiar that he couldn’t place, and his kiss was sure and deep. Matt was not timid in the least, even though Hux had expected some hesitation.

When Hux pulled back, Matt’s lips were quirked up in a smirk, his thumb brushing over Hux’s left cheekbone in a tender gesture. “Your cheeks are red, General.”

Hux could feel them heating even more at the comment. “The curse of my complexion.”

Matt opened his mouth to respond, but something in his expression shifted, and then his hand was dropping from Hux’s face and he was leaning back.

“I, uh, have somewhere I need to be, unfortunately.” His voice was clipped and low. “Something has come up.”

Hux felt a wash of disappointment. He didn’t know what had changed Matt’s mind so abruptly, but it was clear that he was no longer interested. Maybe he had seen sense where Hux hadn’t.  

Hux leaned back in his chair, throwing back the last of the liquid in his glass. “Good evening, then, Matt.”

Matt’s gaze landed back on him, and his brows furrowed. Standing, he pushed his glasses up his nose and cleared his throat. “Thanks for the whiskey and the brilliant game of chess.”

Hux gave a noncommittal wave of his hand. Matt thanking him for the evening just made everything worse. Hux could only hope that this would be the last he heard of this so he would be allowed to forget all of it.

Matt stepped around the table, but on his way past Hux towards the door, he paused. “I think you’re misunderstanding my departure.”

_For the love of Sith._

Hux glared up at him. “I understand that you’re no longer interested. Don’t drag this out.”

Matt leaned down in one smooth motion and captured Hux’s mouth with his own, pulling back before Hux had a chance to respond.

“Something really did come up, and that doesn’t mean I’m not interested, General.”

Hux stared in surprise as Matt left his quarters without looking back.

 

Ren wasn’t disagreeing with him and it was… strange. Hux was explaining his final plans for Starkiller, and Ren was silent, watching him through the impenetrable metal of his mask. Every once in a while he would nod, but he sat there with his arms crossed and didn’t argue or belabor any points Hux was making. They finished in half the time Hux had allotted for this.

“Are you sure you don’t want to add anything?” Hux asked, watching as Ren stood up from his seat at the conference table.

“You covered everything important.”

Hux blinked at him. “You aren’t going to argue about any of it?”

“I agree with you.”

“Are you sick?”

Ren was silent for a few moments. “Agreeing with you does not constitute sickness on my part. Unless you want me to disagree with you?”

Hux shook his head. “Nevermind.” He stood. “Carry on.”

“Good day, General.” Ren left in a sweep of his obnoxious cloak, leaving Hux to stare after him in bewilderment.

And so it went for the next week. Ren didn’t argue with him, tower over him, or mock him. He was quiet and did whatever task the Supreme Leader had him doing without any pomp. Hux was beginning to wonder if Ren was up to something. It was nice, but it was highly suspicious.

In the meantime, Hux continued to meet up with Matt for lunch, and they continued their games of chess in Hux’s quarters in the evening, which was often followed up by a nice bout of kissing. Hux wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing with Matt, but he knew that he enjoyed it and that it wasn’t causing anyone undue harm. Hux found Matt interesting and attractive, and there was something about spending evenings unwinding with him that made Hux more agreeable in the daylight. There were a few strange things about Matt that Hux wondered about, but he chalked those up to more of Matt’s oddities.  

For example, Matt didn’t like people touching his hair and as much as Hux wanted to touch those golden locks, he would respect Matt’s wishes. There were also times that Matt would get a faraway look in his eyes, and usually after that, he would make up some excuse and leave Hux’s quarters in a hurry. Hux assumed it was Matt being skittish, but he really didn’t know what to make of it. Hux knew he should be more suspicious of Matt, but Hux was finding it difficult.

“Lord Ren has been less argumentative recently, and I have to wonder if he’s getting into something.”

Matt, who had been staring at his hand of cards, flicked a glance up at Hux. “What makes you think he’s getting into something?”

“Ren always disagrees with me. During every meeting, he has to argue one point or another. It’s been a week and he hasn’t once argued with me.”

“Maybe he actually does agree with you.”

“I highly doubt that. Ren hates me and I hate him. It’s part of our working relationship to argue. I get jittery when he agrees with me.”

Matt set his hand of cards face-down on the table, eyebrows pulled together. “Do you and Kylo Ren hate each other that much?”

Hux was startled by the serious expression that had camped on Matt’s face. “He doesn’t agree with any of my decisions, he finds my military status laughable, he acts as if I’m some imbecile who doesn’t know what they’re doing.” Hux clenched his jaw. “It’s apparent that he doesn’t like me, so why would I return the favor?”

Matt was now staring down at the table. “If he didn’t hate you?”

Hux’s lip curled. “Ren is powerful and has been trusted with great responsibility, but for all the power that he has, he is rash and childish. He destroys expensive equipment and ignores the echelons of power. If he weren’t the Supreme Leader’s chosen one, I’d think him an idiot.”

Hux could see Matt’s jaw clench and his eyes were dark when they met Hux’s.

“What is your obsession with Kylo Ren anyway? If you knew him you would be much less likely to adore him; you’d be able to see his many flaws.”

Matt’s face was stone, and it turned something in Hux’s stomach. Matt obviously liked Kylo Ren more than he liked Hux. Perhaps Matt was trying to get more information about Ren through Hux, and that was what all of this had been about. Hux was an idiot for not seeing it sooner, an idiot for feeling so disappointed at the realization. The disappointment loosened Hux’s lips. “Kylo Ren is a fool and a waste of time.”

Suddenly, Hux couldn’t draw in air. His cards scattered on the table as his hands flew to his throat, searching for whatever was pressing on his windpipe.

“You are an imbecile, Hux,” Matt growled and lifted his hand.

Matt was using the Force to choke him.

“You are a fool to insult someone with such unmatched power, a fool to question the Supreme Leader’s decisions. Your mistakes will be your end.” His voice had turned low and dangerous, and his gaze was full of simmering fury.

With a thrust of his hand, he sent Hux toppling out of the chair, his back slamming into the ground and pushing the remainder of his breath out of his lungs. Hux gasped for air as his throat was released from the invisible grip, staring up at the ceiling of his quarters. His hacking coughs filled the room.

Matt had circled the table and was towering over him. He was much less harmless than he had seemed before, with the fiery look in his eyes and the snarl twisting his soft mouth.  “I had thought you would see, but evidently you are blinder than expected.”  He lifted a hand and grabbed the blond locks at the top of his hairline. They pulled off easily. 

Dark hair spilled out from under what had been a wig, which he threw behind him. He then yanked the glasses off his face. “You would be foolish enough to insult Kylo Ren to his face.”

Ren’s fury had always been cold, hidden by metal and strangely silent. To see it twisting an unmarred human face was startling.

Horror and disgust filled Hux as the past few weeks came to him through new eyes, and he fought to speak through his raw throat. “This is a new low, even for you,” he rasped, struggling to sit up.

Ren snarled and turned away from him to stare at a far wall. “You weren’t supposed to be involved in this.”

“What the hell is ‘this’?”

“A way to get to know parts of the crew without intimidating them. I wanted to know what people thought of Kylo Ren.”

“So you led me to believe you were a random member of the crew who happened to take an interest in me? What could you possibly hope to gain?”

Ren looks back at him, dark eyes wide, not so different than the gaze Matt the radar technician had pinned him with.

Hux had a sudden thought that he almost dismissed as quickly as it had come, but he lingered on it at the expression on Ren’s face.

Hux stood. “You didn’t mean to lead me on, did you? You were just as invested as I was, otherwise you would have grown bored of this charade early on.”

“Don’t pretend to know my motivations,” Ren growled, and Hux knew then that he was right. Ren had gotten carried away and hadn’t known how to stop.

“You’re the fool, Ren. Did you honestly think this would work?” Hux asked gesturing between them. “That I would take an interest in you as anything other than the harmless radar technician?” Something fierce and painful pulled at Hux’s stomach at the thought of the interactions he had shared with Matt, and how all of that was gone now.

“Of course I didn’t!” Ren snarled. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Just forget any of this happened. It was a mistake. A weakness.”

Hux could still feel the heat of Matt’s mouth against his own, and somehow it made everything worse. “Good day, Ren.”

Ren didn’t look back as he left.

 

Ren would never be able to hide amongst the crew again. Not with the fresh scar bisecting his face. Hux stared down at Ren’s prone form on the cot in the escape shuttle, now confirmed in his prediction of Ren’s failure.

It didn’t make him feel any better. In fact, seeing Ren like this, unconscious and injured, turned Hux’s stomach. There was nothing he could do, though. He was in charge of bringing Ren to Snoke like some babysitter whose child was misbehaving, an insult to his rank as general.

He was able to look out the back viewport and see the inferno that was once his pride and joy, and he conceded that maybe he had this coming. He and Ren, two failures on their way to their final judgment.

“Hux?”

Ren’s voice was nothing more than a rasp against the sound of the engines. He had turned his head to look at Hux, his mouth pulled down in a pout and his eyebrows drawn down. He looked pitiful with that horrid gash on his face. Hux had done what he could with a regenerator, but there was only so much the little device could do, and Hux figured Ren would want the reminder of his failure. He was masochistic like that.

“Yes, Ren?”

“You saved me.”

Hux scrubbed a hand down his face, a rare sign of weakness on his part. “I was under orders from the Supreme Leader.”

“Would you have left me to die?”

Hux really didn’t want to have this conversation where Phasma, who was piloting the shuttle, could hear, but honestly, what did he really have to lose at this point? His grand plans were destroyed, the Resistance had declared full-out war, and they were on their way to a punishment that would probably be the death of Hux.

“Are you sure you want to know the answer to that?”

“Yes.”

Hux stood from the bench across from Ren’s cot and moved so he was looking down at Ren. “You’re a terrible pain in my ass, constantly, but I wouldn’t have left you to a horrible death on that deathtrap.”

Ren smiled. “How romantic of you.”

Hux hummed, unimpressed.

“Remember that night that you dumped me?”

Hux felt the beginnings of a headache starting behind his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I do recall. I was, in fact, Force-choked in my own quarters.”

“Do you still regret everything between you and Matt?”

“Are we really playing this game, Ren? I’m exhausted and you nearly bled to death. This is really not the time.”

Ren reached up and grasped Hux’s shoulder. “Hux, I don’t regret it. If it allowed me to get closer to you, I can’t say I’m sorry.”

“You’re an idiot,” Hux said and then decided, _to hell with it_ , and leaned down and kissed Ren on his stupid mouth, feeling Ren smile up into the kiss.

They were both probably going to die anyway, and Hux knew when to admit defeat.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [tumblr](http://thevulcanpresident.tumblr.com/)


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